There are a lot of games where most people can sort of guess what they’re going to be getting just from the title. Cat Quest, a 2017 role-playing game developed by The Gentlebros, happens to be one of those games. It is a quest and it involves cats, so, yeah “cat quest” kind of hits the nail on the head in terms of a description of what it is. Beyond that, though, Cat Quest evokes a whimsical, charming, and silly adventure and that is what stands out most about the game. It features a pleasant, colourful cartoon art style that will catch the eye as soon as the game starts.
There is a lighthearted fantasy setting populated entirely by cats, and heavy on whimsy and cat puns. Then there is a very streamlined combat system, something that is immediately inviting and easy to understand. Initial impressions are great and for a time this seems like it could be a standout RPG experience. Unfortunately, once the novelty of its presentation wears off, Cat Quest reveals itself to be a shallow and repetitive experience that struggles to justify the minimal length it has. 
The premise is simple and honestly kind of adorable. The hero of this tale (tail?) is a brave cat exploring the kingdom of Felingard in search of their kidnapped sister. Some weird jerk comes along at the beginning and nabs her for reasons that aren’t entirely clear, but winds up leaving this poor hero kitty with an even more mysterious mark. Turns out this isn’t just some strange tattoo this feline hero got after a night of intense partying. They’re one of the Dragonblood, a line of kitties that helped fight off dragons in the long, long ago. This heroic cat must now go on an adventure to save their missing sister, uncovering ancient dragons and helping various feline townsfolk along the way.
The story unfolds through brief conversations and quest text, relying heavily on cat-related puns and self-aware humour, with an emphasis on “heavily”. It feels like every other line has a paw or a purr or a meow snuck in there somewhere. While this approach initially gives the game a distinct personality and it is admittedly kind of cute, the writing rarely evolves beyond this very surface-level sort of charm. There are only so many cat puns someone can take before the humour sours, and Cat Quest goes sprinting past that total within the first five minutes. The dialogue is borderline exhausting because of this, and later in the game there is going to be an intense desire to just skip through the meaningless dialogue to get to the quest. Characters are likable but forgettable, and the plot moves forward without any sort of weight or impact. The story winds up feeling largely functional, sort of tying the various quests together but not really being entertaining in its own right.
Cat Quest does at least look very charming. The bright colour palette, expressive sprites, and clean top-down perspective make the world very pleasant to explore. The visual design is undeniably appealing, particularly for younger players or those that like a more cartoony art style. However, similar to the story, the art style becomes less and less appealing the longer the game is played. Like the story, it winds up feeling kind of superficial. The style is cute but there is almost no variety throughout, and things wind up looking largely the same. One dungeon is almost identical to the next one, and most monsters are just slightly stronger versions of things that have been popping up since the start. It is another instance of Cat Quest doing something pretty well but then running that thing into the ground because they never bother to build it up like it needs to.
The gameplay runs into a very similar problem. Combat is extremely straightforward at the beginning and immediately accessible. Players swing their weapons, dodge enemy attacks, and cast spells mapped to quick-access buttons. It is easy and simple and pretty enjoyable, at least at first. The longer the game goes on, though, the more cracks start to form. It rarely demands much thought or adaptation as most enemies tend to behave similarly. Encounters often devolve into repeating the same tactics over and over again with almost no real strategy or change in battles from one to the next. Boss fights feel very similar to normal enemy battles and rely more on inflated health pools and damage output than on interesting mechanics. There doesn’t feel to be any sense of excitement or accomplishment because things never grow after that first fight. Progression exists through leveling and gear upgrades, but changes are incremental and don’t alter how the game is played in a meaningful way.
The structure itself also feeds into this repetition that tends to define the game. There aren’t many actual missions in the main quest and a big chunk of the game here is dedicated to these side quests that pop up on bulletin boards in every town. Unfortunately, something like 95% of these quests all play out in exactly the same way and players are basically going to be able to guess what they have to do before one even starts. Quests will ask players to travel to a location, defeat enemies, and return for a reward. Over and over and over again it is like this, where Cat Quest continuously sends the player on this never ending series of fetch quests that feels exactly like the one they just finished.
The game restricts players to tracking one quest at a time, so there is a lot of frequent backtracking across familiar terrain to go back to the place the player just came from. What initially feels like a cosy open world gradually turns into a checklist of errands, with little actual impact other than making gear and levels tick up shortly over time. There is this big map at the beginning that looks so fun and inviting, but the adventure itself winds up being so routine that it holds the game back.
Cat Quest’s RPG systems feel really minimal, which might appeal to some people, but will likely push more people away. This works mostly for someone who either has not played a lot of RPGs or for someone who really just wants something to sit down and play while turning their brain completely off. Everything in this game feels really perfunctory and there isn’t any sort of actual complexity or cleverness to any of the ideas. Gear upgrades offer stat improvements, but rarely encourage experimentation or strategic decision making. Leveling up gear feels really random. Chests will get opened but give either new equipment or slightly upgrade one that’s already in the inventory. That upgrade feels random, though, and for the most part players are just going to swap in whatever has the best stats.
Spells add variety, but there is some overlap between them and players are likely to find one or two they like and just use that over and over again. Difficulty remains relatively flat throughout the experience, meaning those who grasp the mechanics early are unlikely to feel challenged later. This design makes the game approachable, but also limits its appeal for anyone seeking depth or long-term engagement.
Despite these shortcomings, Cat Quest is not without merit. Its simplicity makes it an easy recommendation for players new to action RPGs or those looking for a gentle, stress-free experience. It’s a game that can be enjoyed in short bursts, offering just enough progression to feel rewarding without demanding sustained attention or mastery. Sitting down and playing this game for five to ten minutes at a time really makes it feel a bit more manageable. It is also mercifully short, which would normally be a disadvantage but here feels strategic. Things are already a bit bloated and repetitive, so the quick sort of experience feels about right for what is actually offered. For younger players or those primarily interested in aesthetic appeal and humour, this might be a perfectly acceptable if unremarkable RPG. However, for more experienced players, the lack of depth and variety becomes increasingly apparent the longer Cat Quest goes on.
